San Bernardino

SAN BERNARDINO, CA - Food truck vendors desiring to do business in San Bernardino County scored a small victory Tuesday after the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that will allow them to expand their footprint in the county.

The board unanimously approved proposals by the Land Use services and Public Health departments establishing new regulations on how food trucks are inspected for health and sanitation requirements and when, where and how food trucks can operate.

Because some of the county’s 24 cities are opposed to food trucks operating in their jurisdictions other than at special community events, the ordinance provides discretion to those cities to maintain the status quo if that is their choice.

While the ordinance does not allow what food truck operators want most: the ability to roam freely through the county and sell their cuisine wherever they like, the majority of supervisors say the proposed ordinance is a good start that could potentially open the door for even fewer restrictions in the future.

“I’m hopeful that someday they’ll be allowed to roam freely like they do throughout the state, but baby steps,” said Supervisor Janice Rutherford, who proposed the ordinance last year after some of her constituents wanting to operate food trucks in the county informed her of the county’s long-standing ban.

Riverside and San Bernardino counties are the only counties in the state that have imposed such restrictions on food truck operators, citing mainly health and safety concerns.

Board Chairwoman Josie Gonzales said there isn’t any reason why the new ordinance wouldn’t work so long as it is structured accordingly and the proper administrative and legal remedies are in place.

The land-use rules apply to unincorporated areas only and create new categories of major and minor food truck events. Major events would serve more than 500 people per event and are limited to six a year. Minor events would serve 500 or fewer people and could be held year-round so long as permits are obtained for each event.

Vendors would be required to pay an annual fee of $596, per location, for every event where they sell their wares, which had some food truck proponents balking.

Find the entire article by Joe Nelson at redlandsdailyfacts.com <here>

San Bernardino County voted unanimously vote to amend an ordinance that regulates food trucks, albeit on a restricted basis

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA – Is it possible? Could we begin to see food trucks in San Bernardino County?

In a unanimous vote, the county has said yes to amend an ordinance that regulates food trucks, albeit on a restricted basis. The amendment means that food trucks will be able to operate beyond the festivals or private functions with permits, according to a county staff report.

The move is a positive change, said Board Supervisor Janice Rutherford before last week’s vote. Rutherford brought the issue to the attention of the board.

The issue had been on her mind because “I had always wondered before being elected to the board of supervisors why I couldn’t get my hands on some of those yummy Korean tacos in my own hometown, why people were driving to LA for them,” Rutherford said.

After her election, she had a constituent approach her to ask about starting a food truck business, she said. When she looked into it, she said she was surprised to learn that San Bernardino and Riverside were the only two counties in the state who did not allowed them.

“I (thought) we needed to lift that ban,” she said.

Rutherford had hoped to lift the ban entirely, but did not have the votes, according to reports. But the board did compromise.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people who are very enthusiastic about this — foodies or just entrepreneurs — and who believe in the entrepreneurial spirit and who think this would be a great thing for this region to have,” Rutherford said.

There have been concerns expressed by some businesses and residents about litter and cleanliness, she said. Others worried about the competition the trucks might pose.

As far as the safety of the food, Rutherford said on top of the efforts that cities and counties will put in keeping the trucks safe, she encouraged people to be discriminating. The supervisor said the issues would be addressed as they worked out the process.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA - Food trucks will get a chance to bring their cuisine to San Bernardino County on a limited basis.

The Board of Supervisors agreed unanimously Tuesday to allow food trucks to operate under permit at specific events but rejected — on a 2-3 vote — allowing them to roam the streets as they do in other counties.

Supervisor Janice Rutherford supported allowing food trucks to operate county-wide but said the compromise was a good first step that would let health inspectors get accustomed to regulating the industry.

“Maybe after we can get our feet wet with that, we can lift our ban completely,” she said.

The food truck business has become increasingly popular in many cities over the past few years, with vendors selling more sophisticated gourmet fare.

But San Bernardino and Riverside are the only two counties in the state that prohibit food trucks, said Terri Williams, San Bernardino County’s chief of environmental health services.

The two counties limit food trucks to selling only drinks and pre-packaged foods, such as ice cream. Hot, freshly prepared foods can be sold only at community-sponsored events at specific locations, such as a festival.

The proposed regulation would allow for a broader expansion of permitted events. For example, businesses could invite food trucks to their offices to provide lunch for employees or trucks could gather at one particular city block one day a week.

The county’s environmental health services department will return to the board with the final ordinance at a future meeting. The rules will apply county-wide but individual cities and towns can impose their own requirements.

Jeff Smith, who owns the Texifornia Tamale Company in Blue Jay, was one of about a dozen speakers who supported allowing food trucks to operate in the county. He said it would give him the chance to expand his restaurant business.

“We are being locked out of a trend,” Smith said. “The avante garde of what’s happening in the food industry is happening on these food trucks.”

Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt was the only other board member backing Rutherford in allowing food trucks to operate on the roads, calling the compromise “too restrictive.”

San Bernardino County residents may soon be able to enjoy grub from food trucks on local streets.

Supervisor Janice Rutherford said she is working on an ordinance to reverse a ban on food trucks operating in the county and hopes to discuss it with her fellow supervisors in the next few months.

“I think this is a great opportunity for a new type of small business and for jobs,” Rutherford said. “I also think there’s a great demand for it.”

Matt Geller, the president of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association, said overturning the ban would stimulate the local economy.

“I think its a great business model,” Geller said. “If someone wants to start a brick- and-mortar restaurant, it might cost them a million and a half dollars, but if you want to go into it with these food trucks, you don’t need to be a wealthy person.”

Food trucks are only able to operate at permitted events in the county, such as the Chino Valley Foodie Festival earlier this month at Don Lugo High School in Chino.

Rutherford’s spokesman Scott Vanhorne said the ban has probably been in place for decades because of the perception that mobile food vendors could spread foodborne illnesses.

But the county’s interest in food trucks seems to be clear.

Hundreds of enthusiasts attended the Don Lugo High gathering as well as similar events hosted by My Delight Cupcakery at The Gateway at Mountain Village shopping center in Ontario.